Riu Karamboa

i first visited 5 years ago with my husband and booked again with FIRST CHOICE for a week all inclusive returning to the UK 9th January 2020and oh my god how badly has this place gone downhill. i had one day i was okay and spent most of the holiday in my bed with suspected food poisoning! terrible headaches / fever / vomiting and diarrhoea the worst i had ever had! i am only just recovering after visiting the doctor on my return. i was so badly dehydrated that i was taken round to the clinic in a wheelchair and put on a drip and they added the anti sickness drug to it to try and stop the vomiting. in total we had to pay around 260 euros for the treatment and TUI/FIRST CHOICE have sent a reply to say cant give any compensation as we didnt call their 24 hour helpline to tell them of this when we were away yet my husband told reception several times how ill i was. SHAME ON FIRST CHOICE - save your money. check internet as you will see that 47 passengers were put off a flight heading to UK from Cape Verde in October 2019 all having suffered from the same thing so avoid like the plague - i am not one to complain but seriously if you value your health please go elsewehere!

This hotel is one of the better mass market all inclusive hotels I have been too. It seems to get some bad press but I guess it depends on your expectations and of course reading where you are staying before you book. The hotel itself is on a massive site, with lots of long ramps rather than lifts it have has direct access to the sea, Though we don’t, I would suggest if you have any mobility concerns that you ask for a room maybe a few days before had some you are nearer the facilities if this is preferred. The hotel itself is kept immaculately clean, there are grounds people, pool staff, chefs, waitresses, security and probably the best cleaners in the business working 24/7 to make you stay memorable. The little addition of occasional flowers in the room or decorative towels are just a nice little thing to make you feel welcomed. The rooms are around 10 years old but have been updated with new technology, hairdryers and comfortable beds, they all have safes of course and a balcony’s or terraces, again asking for a south facing or similar you can easily do when you check in or a few days before by email. The food is good, I understand the reviews about repetitiveness however there is so much choice it’s easy just to keep getting the same things rather than venturing for new, interesting speaking to another couple the food at the palace next door is identical however split into 4 restaurants making it feel like more choice. The individual restaurants are defiantly worth a visit and included in your holiday if you book a package. We saw no issues with cleanleness with bacterial gel at every door and staff reminding people to use, I would say however many don’t and that seems just plain lazy/daft. The swimming pool and amenities are good, the pool in cooler than many it’s not heated and looking at the landscape and lack of resources heating a pool is just a wast however it’s quite usable after the initial 30 seconds ! The areas are continuously kept clean. Many sun beds but usual towels out early for the best spots it seems! The beach is sandy and a delight, worth a walk in either direction som good local inexpensive bars. There is not much to to do on Boa Vista so relaxation is th name of the game. If you look to do any of the trips that the main brands push, its far cheaper to do locally and you are still using the same people as the main brands don’t organise they are just an agent making bookings. We found prices were around 30% cheaper for direct bookings and still get collected at your hotel etc as part of the price. Seems daft not to give direct to the local community. The BUT, the most annoying think we found was the smoking, there are some non smoking areas but these were minimal and should I suggest really be the other way round. Smoking around the pool, corridors, and even rooms is quite normal and if you a non smoker it’s quite invasive, in fact we spoke to a number of people who actually said it was the one thing that would put them off coming to this resort again. Overal it was great, the weather was good, some cloudier days which are to be excepted in. January and overall a pleasant stay. RIU - You are a massive chain, maybe you could review you smoking in this hotel or have rooms/ areas that are just for smokers rather than shared, it’s a shame as verything else was fantastic.